Matching Your Shirt and Tie: A Guide (P)

Wearing a shirt and a tie is one of the strongest things associated with manliness. Many men from around the world wear shirts and ties on a daily basis and some only on certain occasions. Because they wear them so often or because they want to make sure they look great on a special day, a whole lot of men want to spice things up and take their style to another level, while still maintaining the classic look of a tie and shirt.

We are here to offer a helping hand. In this sense, we have put together a list of rules you can follow if you want to take your shirt and tie combinations to the next level. These rules work best if you wear black, gray or generally neutral pants and neutral shoes (you will read more about neutrals later).

The rules we offer can be applied to any style, body type, setting, etc. Moreover, the examples we offer are interchangeable, which means that for example if we present a solid color shirt with a tie that features a pattern, you can also switch it up and wear a shirt that features a pattern with solid color shirt.

In the end, it needs to be said that these are not unbreakable rules; they are guidelines that will make you look harmonious and stylish and that will ensure you that you will look great and polished when wearing a shirt and tie combination.

Here they are:

Solid Neutral + Anything

A safe bet when it comes to matching your shirt to your tie is to wear at least one piece that is a solid neutral. Solid neutral clothes go with absolutely anything. In fashion, neutrals are colors that go with any other color and with each other and with any pattern, print or texture. These colors are black, white, beige, khaki, tan, ivory, brown, dark blue, gray, etc. If you wear a shirt for example in any of these colors, you can wear it with any tie you want and vice versa.

The rule is that neutrals go with anything, so if you don’t wear other non-neutrals, there is no way of going wrong. Also, you can wear two neutrals at the same time, but that is often boring and bland.

Solid Neutral + Solid

Now, if you want to take it more methodically, the first way in which you can match your shirt with a tie is to create a color scheme that involves a solid neutral and a solid color that is not a neutral. As we said before, neutrals go with absolutely anything, so wearing a shirt that is a neutral will go very well with any other color.

Solid + Solid

a) Colors that lie closely to each other on the color spectrum go well together. Examples include combinations such as blue and purple, red and orange, yellow and orange, etc.

b) Colors that lie on opposite sides of the color wheel go well together as well. For example, blue goes well with yellow, red goes with green, etc.

There are many types of color schemes you can create, especially if you add a third color in the mix.

Solid Color + Pattern

Another way to wear a shirt with a tie is to wear a solid color with a pattern. For a safe bet, make sure that the pattern you choose features the solid color you are picking for the color scheme. For example, if you choose to wear an orange shirt, you can match it with a tie that features light green, dark green and orange lines. Doing so, you will create a look that is cohesive, coherent and that goes by the book, so it will work in any setting.

Pattern + Pattern

Many men want to wear multiple patterns at a time and don’t know whether this works and, if it does, how it works. The rule of mixing patterns is that they have to be of different sizes.

For example, you can wear both a striped shirt and a striped tie, but the stripes of the shirt need to be of a different thickness than the stripes of the tie. Thick stripes go with thin stripes, always remember this.

You can also mix two patterns or prints that are not the same, such as stripes and polka dots. In this case, the rule applies just like above: thick stripes go with small dots and vice versa.

Remember that a pattern is a repeated construction, while a print is an image that features a composition, like a drawing. If you want to wear a pattern and a print, or two prints, the same rule applies, just that you need to check the type of element from which the print is made. For example, if you want to wear a print that features heavy lines and big blocks of color, you should wear it with something that features thin lines, regardless of whether they are straight or curved.

As you can see, following a few simple rules will make your shirt and tie combos look more elegant, more sophisticated and more stylish. And there many reasons why you should follow them: looking your best will make you feel more confident and more positive and it will impact the way you do things, the way you act and the way you think and, by extension, it will impact almost every aspect of your life! Remember that practice makes perfect, so even if you don’t get it right from the first try, you should not give up! Trust your instincts, respect the rules and you will have it down in no time!

P.S. How do you match your shirt to your tie? What colors do you like to wear? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, don’t forget to subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

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